Arrived in this beautiful port at sunrise on Sunday morning. It was magical! The mountains (volcanos) in the distance with a misty look about them. The ocean was beautiful blue and peaceful. Suddenly we heard a roar and on both sides of the ship, fishing boats racing out to sea. We arrived on the last day of a fishing tournament (good area for Marlin).

We took the tender ashore into this very impressive marina. The port looks very new and very charming. No high-rise hotels or casinos, just a quaint little town situated where the rain forest meets the sea.

Costa Rica is a small country but reaches from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It’s biodiversity and commitment to protecting it is impressive. Though the country makes up only about 0.25% of the world’s landmass, it contains 5% of the world’s plant and animal species. Around 25% of the country’s land is within national parks (I love that!) and other protected areas, the largest percentage of protected areas in the world.

Costa Rica has more than 750 identified volcanoes. Most are dead (permanently inactive), some are dormant, and one (Arenal) is one of the most active in the world. Almost every night, Arenal offers a spectacle of lights with its explosive eruptions.

Did you know Costa Rica has an area identified as a ‘blue zone’? Blue Zone you ask…so did I. Blue Zone is a region where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. What?!

Bob and I took at tour to Carara National Park. We drove north from the port and saw plantations of oil palms and mango trees. They are also famous for their pineapple, oranges, avocado and papaya. Arrived at the National Park and saw many large iguanas. I immediately noticed an area with many tall flowering bushes which attracted a huge variety of butterflies and spectacular hummingbirds.

We took a hike into the rain forest where our guide told us about the many species of trees and plants. Our group was also looking for any wildlife. I spotted a large parade of leaf-cutter ants. I remember seeing them in the rainforest before and found them very entertaining. They were following each other in a line that seemed a mile long, down the trunk of a tree, across our path and out into the jungle, each carrying a piece of leaf. If you didn’t look close to see the ant, it was like a dancing line of green leafs. We looked for sloths but didn’t find any. Luckily, this park is home to one of the largest remaining populations of wild scarlet macaw in Costa Rica. Sure enough, soon we heard the macaws screaming in the tree tops and with that bold red color, they were easy to spot. What a gorgeous creature! They were so far up in the tops of the trees, it was difficult to get a picture.

Next we went down the hill to the river that is famous for their crocodile. We boarded a boat and took a tour of the mangroves. I would love to spend more time bird watching since there are more than 120 species of birds living here. Soon we spotted monkey’s, two different kinds. I immediately recognized the howler monkey, hollering at us from the trees. They were very entertaining to watch.

Our day in Puerto Quepos was wonderful. We had lunch at a restaurant near the National Park that was farm to table. The food was excellent. The fresh guava juice and mangos were like none I’ve ever tasted. The people are so friendly and very interested in meeting others from around the world. Our guide, Rafael, shared many facts about his country. You could tell he loves Costa Rica and I can see why….it’s a true paradise!